When playing a game of Jeopardy via projector or anything that requires dim lighting:
Put some kind of light on in the back of the room or open the shades. If you have to be in the front of the room working the computer you need to be able to see what the students in the back are doing. On 2.6.08 I played Jeopardy and did not follow (nor did I think about) these rules. My CT walked into the room after being away for most of the class and later advised me that a girl in the back had pulled out her iPod and some students were also cheating by using their notes. He suggested putting the overhead on in the back for a light source.
The next day I ran the lesson again and followed the steps above. Students weren't too happy about having the extra light on, but that's the reason why I had to do it. Also, I made sure to collect everything before starting the game and advised that everything had to be off the tables. Also, I did not let students pick teams but made them count off by "4's". Things ran much more smoothly.
When creating lessons that will need help from the overhead, type the notes first in "Word". It makes it so much easier to pay attention to what the class is doing when taking notes.
I have previously tried jotting notes down with the class but found this to be a little painful as I wasn't able to keep my eyes on them at all times. Middle schoolers are rough! One second of back turning or eye diversion leads to mayhem. Also, I feel that having the notes already there and ready boosts content confidence. Not that that is usually a problem, but it does seem slight problematic when sitting in the "hot seat".
Notes to self:
Put some kind of light on in the back of the room or open the shades. If you have to be in the front of the room working the computer you need to be able to see what the students in the back are doing. On 2.6.08 I played Jeopardy and did not follow (nor did I think about) these rules. My CT walked into the room after being away for most of the class and later advised me that a girl in the back had pulled out her iPod and some students were also cheating by using their notes. He suggested putting the overhead on in the back for a light source.
The next day I ran the lesson again and followed the steps above. Students weren't too happy about having the extra light on, but that's the reason why I had to do it. Also, I made sure to collect everything before starting the game and advised that everything had to be off the tables. Also, I did not let students pick teams but made them count off by "4's". Things ran much more smoothly.
I have previously tried jotting notes down with the class but found this to be a little painful as I wasn't able to keep my eyes on them at all times. Middle schoolers are rough! One second of back turning or eye diversion leads to mayhem. Also, I feel that having the notes already there and ready boosts content confidence. Not that that is usually a problem, but it does seem slight problematic when sitting in the "hot seat".
That's all for today.